The Devil's Dilemma
by ChrisVegamelo
Summary: A businessman is transported with his other 5 guildmates to an unknown world. After the end of Yggdrasil, they find themselves in the bodies of their avatars in their guild headquarters, the Great Tomb of Nazarick. How will it change Nazarick's Future? Will Momonga take the same decisions? How will our protagonist change the world? Overlord AU, OC (Not SI);
1. Prologue

**Firstly, I wanted to say that this is my first fanfiction, and English is only my second language. So don't expect anything revolutionary from this fiction. It sounds grim, doesn't it? However, please do give me a chance. Secondly, I wanted to make a couple of points clear:**

 **1\. This is not a Self-Insert fanfiction. This character is an original one, as I am not a 50 years old man and I don't condone any of his decisions due to their occasionally questionable morality. His avatar in Yggdrasil is a little overpowered, but I will try to balance him somehow with some limitations.**

 **2\. Sadly, I don't have the necessary time to update this fanfiction frequently. I will try to upload a chapter at least once a week, which length will be based on how much available time I will have. Nevertheless, in case of a missed upload, I must ask you to be considerate, during exams at least.**

 **3\. I would like to know your thoughts concerning this story, so please post a review. I am not against criticism either, as any objective opinion will hugely help me in improving my writing style or the plot.**

 **4\. I don't own Overlord or any of its characters.(OBVIOUSLY)**

 **Thanks for giving my story a chance and I hope you will enjoy it.**

* * *

"-I hope that our companies will continue their productive cooperation and I am sincerely delighted to be your partner for future deals, Mr Marchand. Truly delighted to do business with you again."

"- Have a nice evening, Mr Jiang. Thanks again for this generous offer."

Hua Jiang, a powerful individual in the Chinese military Alliance, is now at the risk of bankruptcy due to his own sheer idiocy. With the invention of a new alloy, his industrial facility and mines became basically useless and lost most of their commercial value. The iron reserves are expected to end already by 2200 even with the government efforts to fund the Eco-Steel Research Program developed by EF. This senile old man did his best to influence the political figureheads of China into putting economic sanctions on the European Federation and the USA, to prevent a crisis in China due to the loss of one of its most profitable state industries. However, now as this material proved to be much more durable and light, the Chinese politicians can't deny anymore its advantages. Realising that he will lose his influence over the Asian Bloc weaponry production, he comes to me, one of the main shareholders of this corporation, with hopes to buy a couple of my assets. He is pathetic but also a hilarious failure as a person to behold. Nonetheless, his offer was quite enticing for me as it gave me control over a bunch of his assets in SGEC, a former state-owned Chinese corporation.

I stared at his leaving back for a moment and then looked through the large window panels of the conference room, at the inconspicuous dawn in the once esthetically pleasing scenery of Brussels, the grey smog and skyscrapers now covering the majority of the view. I sighed, saddened by how grim our future on this planet looked.

After I left the room, I approached Ms Hoffman, my secretary, and asked her to call my driver to announce him that I will be waiting at the entrance in about 10 minutes. She was a petite woman, with pale skin and long black hair, always dressed elegantly and with a serious demeanour. As an employee of this corporation with more than 15 years of experience behind her back, she knew most of my peculiar traits and preferences that I generally kept hidden from the public. She had reminded me of my first love during college, at her interview. Francesca Rossi was her name as I remember. She was definitely one of the finest gals in the campus. However, unfortunately, I didn't want to have a sincere relationship with her, maybe due to my distrust towards people or the thought that this adventure was simply useless for my aspirations. And like that, my bachelor life continued. I would often have affairs with women only to satisfy my sexual desires. In the case that my partner wanted something more serious, I would simply sever my ties with her.

I entered my office and took a sip of my already cold coffee. In the room, there is little to no furniture left because my company is moving its headquarters to the centre of the city. I stared at an old piece of paper enclosed in a rudimentary wooden frame on my desk. It was the contract of the acquisition of my first business, a supermarket, bought with the money inherited from my father. I was an innocent child back then, who stubbornly thought that he was better than his parents. Sadly, after years of blood, sweat, and tears shed for his dream, David hardened and became a cold-blooded and cynical individual that valued in people only profit. The child started playing the role of a successful but righteous man when truly he was introverted and lonely, so lonely that he was not loved by anyone. He renounced everything to reach success. And why did he do all those sacrifices, making his life void of happiness in the process? He had just never wanted to be considered mediocre ever again. He always desired to be someone special in the 15 billion people that inhabit Earth. He dreamt of making a positive change in this world, and he dedicated his whole existence to reaching this seemingly impossible goal. Nevertheless, he continued his futile struggle for his ambitions, despite his loneliness. Unfortunately, that child resides still deep inside me. Although I consider these aspirations foolish, I will fight for it despite all the odds. I desire to free this God-forgotten land from its poverty and war, to surely shape it into a better place. After 40 years of my fight for this lost cause, I still can't relinquish it...

My thought was suddenly interrupted by the somewhat irritating voice of Ms Hoffman.

"-Sir, the car is waiting for you downstairs."

"-Thank you, I am leaving, Ms Hoffman. Please ask the janitor to clean the mess in the conference room."

I took my coat, I said my goodbyes to my secretary and pushed the button to the lift. As I was waiting for the arrival of the elevator, I was approached by a tall, bald man dressed in a bland grey suit.

"-Delighted to meet you again, Mr Marchand.''

"-Ohh, Mr Meijer, It's been a while, lively as always as I see. By the way, how is your newborn son?"

"-Healthy and energetic as always. My wife is quite busy now. It's stressful as hell with him. At least now he knows how to eat properly by himself."

"-I bet he will be a vigorous lad in the future. He has a good example to follow." I said smiling. Oh, the elevator arrived.

"Mr Meijer, we can have dinner sometime in the near future, in a restaurant near the Centre Plaza. The food there is quite good. I want to meet the boy that everyone is talking about. " I chuckled. "See you later."

"Farewell, Mr Marchand" He waved at me grinning.

Willems Meijer, the Finance Head of Veto, is quite an interesting fellow. Being smart and ambitious at 43 years, he got a high position in a fairly big corporation. Willems is polite and experienced, loves his family and is loyal to firm's values. This employee seems perfect, doesn't he? However, I dug deeper, as I always do. In result, I found more than enough to be content. He had a secret affair with his secretary, a couple of charges due to drug use during his adolescence and amusingly even a rape case. Now that I know about his skeletons in the cupboard, why didn't I fire him? I simply didn't find it necessary as his past, in my opinion, doesn't overshadow his limitless potential.

So why do I need this information? In case, that his loyalty to the enterprise will waver, I would need to provide the necessary motivation for him to be again fully devoted to the company. And what better incentive does exist in the world than the fear to lose his loved ones?

Finally, I arrived at the first floor as I heard the iconic sound of the elevator stopping. Even now at the ground floor, there are workers taking out furniture and loading them into the lorry. The process is taking way too long. It was supposed to be done by Friday. I think I will call the construction company to complain about their lack of proper staff. I should wear my facemask, almost forgot. Huh, it started raining again with the same old, acid waste, that we get every damn day. Suddenly, a boy in tattered clothing stumbled into me. I wanted to stop him, but he had run away. At least, I didn't have anything of value in my pocket, just a couple of cryptocurrency coins on my card, which for me means nothing of importance.

I greeted the driver and entered the car, a brand new model of the hovering sports cars from Volsault. I never experienced the poverty and hunger that these children experience. I was born into a wealthy family of past oil magnates that invested their money into the metallurgic industry. I was raised by my father, with the thought that I will inherit his enterprise in the future. I was always a bird in a cage. "Smile", "Be polite", "Be the first" and most importantly "Don't disappoint us" were the phrases that I would often hear from my mother, words that would shape me into the person that I am today. During my childhood, I would go discreetly to a local computer centre, that had a collection of relics that were proudly described by clerks as games of the 20th century. During those times, I discovered my "sinful" addiction for video-games. I felt free for the first time in life. During my student years at the university, unfortunately, my father died in an accident. Even though I hated his pragmatic views on the world, I always loved him, as strict as he was. My family, including me, was devastated by this loss. My mother died shortly after due to a terminal disease perhaps caused by her sorrow. In the aftermath, I was alone in this world as I was the only child of my parents and my uncles and aunts never really cared about me.

As we passed by an abandoned old building, I grumbled under my breath: "Brussels sure has changed a lot during these 40 years..."

The capital of the European Federation is just a shell of its former self. Most of its historic buildings were lost during the third world war and the Anarchist Revolution in 2090. Beggars and riots at every corner of the city is a truly beautiful sight to behold. Ok, I should stop being sarcastic. It's quite depressing as it is, no need to worsen it any further.

Finally, we arrived at my two-floor penthouse near the Central Park. I am so damn tired. This day of work proved to be much more nerve-racking than I thought. Those delegates from Russia were so stubborn about the tungsten trade deal that I wanted to annul everything. I ate some of the tasty salmon cooked by my maid today, took a shower and called one of my business partners to wish him my congratulations on his birthday. Ah, it's hard for a 65-year-old man to work that much. As the rich stratum of the society has a life expectancy of 150 years, this age doesn't seem that much. With the help of modern medicine, my body is as healthy as a 30-year-old youngster's one.

Now that I finished everything that I planned for today, I think it's time to relax a bit and do something that would lighten my mood a bit. I entered my VR capsule and opened Yggdrasil for the last time in my life.

* * *

 **Some of the references:** **Volksault- Volkswagen + Renault,** **EF- European Federation,** **SGEC-** **SGCC basically the** **State Grid Corporation of China but Enterprise instead of Corporation.**


	2. The Sunset

**I CHANGED THE FIRST CHAPTER, PLEASE CHECK IT AGAIN. MY APOLOGIES.**

* * *

 **Firstly, I wanted to say that this is my first fanfiction, and English is only my second language. So don't expect anything revolutionary from this fiction. It sounds grim, doesn't it? However, please do give me a chance. Secondly, I wanted to make a couple of points clear:**

 **1\. This is not a Self-Insert fanfiction. This character is an original one, as I am not a 50 years old man and I don't condone any of his decisions due to their occasionally questionable morality. His avatar in Yggdrasil is a little overpowered, but I will try to balance him somehow with some limitations.**

 **2\. Sadly, I don't have the necessary time to update this fanfiction frequently. I will try to upload a chapter at least once two weeks, which length will be based on how much available time I will have. Nevertheless, in case of a missed upload, I must ask you to be considerate, during exams at least.**

 **3\. I would like to know your thoughts concerning this story, so please post a review. I am not against criticism either, as any objective opinion will hugely help me in improving my writing style or the plot.**

 **4\. I don't own Overlord or any of its characters except the original ones. (OBVIOUSLY)**

* * *

 **Thanks for giving my story a chance and I hope you will enjoy it.**

 **I want to thank pwashington, PervySageChuck, Aston, Shalltear Bloodfallen, Boi, prinnington and arawn92 for the reviews. Please write your suggestions below.**

* * *

Sadly today at 16:00 the critically acclaimed YGGDRASIL will draw its last breath after 12 years of activity. Hilariously enough, I even postponed everything that I had for today, a deed so amusingly uncharacteristic of me that even now I ask myself the use of this ridiculous loss of time in my flawlessly established schedule. In 2124 when the release of this virtual reality RPG was announced by Segami, the gaming community was shaken as a whole because of the truly revolutionary features that it offered. Although many critics expressed their scepticism toward the validity of their plans of making the game as dynamic and full of content as their PC rivals, many didn't lose their hopes. And one of them was me. I bought a bunch of its assets on a whim. As much as I want to think of this game as an investment made due to its expected profit, I must say that this acquisition of shares was purely an act of the still living gaming fanatic in my heart. It was an affair that proved to be more of a loss in profit for me even with its long lasted fan support, due to Segami being already pretty successful at that time and the unwillingness of many of its shareholders to sell their assets in that company. It was a decision purely made out of the desire to have at least a bit of contribution in the matters in which I was actually invested in behind the scenes of my public persona.

As I exited the dungeon that I was exploring till dawn, I started to reminisce about the hours spent inside this virtual world. Video games take an important position in my heart. I can't deny how much these seemingly unimportant collections of data helped me go through many of my crises during rough periods of my life. They gave me the opportunity to experience failures without having to face their consequences. I could mindlessly go on an adventure and forget about my problems in real life. I even freely made friends without thinking about their alternative motives or having any particular benefit from it because simply these virtual worlds helped me deal with my loneliness. I also found here the joy of being free of any social norms, and the excitement of camaraderie.

I single-handedly went through and ravaged this cave of spiders, which was way below my level, just to recall the good old days when my gaming life was a somewhat bitter and challenging cycle of deaths and respawns. I started playing this game at its beta-version, which I was able to get due to my ties to the company. If I am not wrong, I joined my guild about 5 or 6 years ago when being neutral was not really anymore playable due to my class. I promised my guildmates to be back at 10:00 at the headquarters, which was, by the way, a multilayered underground base with the ominous name the Great Tomb of Nazarick. It supposedly used to be a dungeon they had conquered in the past, but as I joined the group when it had already had about 30 members, I never had the opportunity to see those glorious days. Ainz Ooal Gown, founded by the former members Nine's Own Goal, was one of the top guilds of Yggdrasil at its full potential that generally played the role of the dark faction opposed to humanity. Therefore one of the main requirements to join it is to be a heteromorphic race. Another one is to be a working member of society. And lastly, a new member needs the approval of the current ones.

As I entered the Great Hall, a room on the last floor of Nazarick, the 10th to be exact, I was mesmerised by the usual magnificent view of its intricate gothic design. A tall throne, sculpted in granite with different skulls at its base adorned with two dignified statues of gargoyles overseeing its magnificence, had a beautiful red silk carpet leading to it, with an imposing silver chandelier illuminating the entire area. At its sides, it had 42 lofty black marble columns with hanging crimson banners embellished with golden patterns representing each member of the guild. And in the background, we could see a majestic, royal purple one, with our coat of arms sewn with silver thread into it. Truly, it is a beautiful sight to behold.

My contemplation was interrupted by the voice of a tall birdman, clothed in a dressing gown out of all things possible.

"-Bonjour, Monsieur Devil-sama!" He said with the most broken French accent that I could have ever witnessed.

"-First and foremost, monsieur means almost the same thing as the honorific "sama" in Japanese. Please forgive my rudeness but I must ask you to stop using French words as your accent is not really pleasing to hear, Peroroncino." I said with a bit of annoyance, dropping my real life pleasing mask.

"-Ouch, that hurts. Mephis-chan is rude with uncle Peroro." He sobbed with a sullen face.

"- Delighted to meet you again Peroroncino." I sighed after calming a bit.

"- Man, you know you are the single person that I can't infuriate. And it fucking annoys me so much. "He exasperatedly grumbled.

Peroroncino, the stereotypical pervert Japanese uncle, is one of my friends that I made in this guild, initially due to us being in the same party. He would always make a sarcastic comment about me, to which I would generally answer with a simple and calm reply or a friendly remark, which annoyed him to no end. These sort of peculiar exchanges happened quite commonly in our group in the past. We became unwillingly really close as all its former members left due to various reasons. Watanabe Saito, the real-life Peroroncino, is a simple middle-aged office worker living somewhere in the northern part of the Suginami special ward in Tokyo, being also a software developer in one of the branches of my corporation. Three years ago, he announced us, about his retirement from the game due to him losing his job. Hearing that, I decided to help him somehow by giving him a very enticing position in my enterprise, obviously anonymous. I found the necessary personal information about him, using my personal connections in Segami. I talked a bit with my partner at SocialBook and asked him to fill Watanabe's feed with a couple of ads that sought programmers for employment. The next day, I was informed about him coming to one of my offices in Tokyo for an interview. He passed it easily, thanks to my backing. Finally a week or so after, he came back to the guild, declared with his usual ridiculous grandeur that we were victims of one of his most successful jokes. Witnessing his arrogant act, his sister and I deadpanned at his incredulous excuse.

"- By the way, how is your sister?"

"- Aww, how sweet. Memphis-chan still didn't get over his crush." He chirped in the most irritating voice possible.

Obviously, I didn't have any sort of romantic feelings towards Bukubukuchagama. I was just honestly interested how her career fared out.

"-She is doing fairly well. She has just struck a deal with a Japanese animation studio, so she is really busy these days. She is happy with being able to work at what she loves even if that means she doesn't have time for Yggdrasil anymore." He told me with a serious expression. "- Let's stop the chit-chat. Momonga asked us to come and help him with the edits in the NPC's bios.'' He is yet again back to his disturbing tone. Damn, it was good while it lasted.

Our guild was selected to be immortalised in the Hall of Fame of Yggdrasil by its developers, where we share the same honour with other nine group, mostly due to our legendary defence against 1500 players. Since we wanted to leave an interesting saga behind our mighty existence in Yggdrasil, we decided to revise some of the settings of our NPCs or locations. But honestly speaking, it was mostly Momonga's initiative.

As we were walking down the dimly lit hallway, we were greeted with the sight of a grotesque cephalopod being, similar to a humanoid Ctulhu, chuckling by himself while looking at one of the 42 homunculus maids that inhabit the Tomb of Nazarick.

"-Coup De Grâce, I know that everyone has their dark secrets. But Coupsy-chan, please consider that not everyone has the same devotion to the maid fetish as you do." Peroroncino said in a disgusting and cheery voice.

"-Long time no see, Coup de Grâce."

"-Hello everyone." He spoke almost stuttering. I guess he might have been embarrassed. As the game avatars didn't show any facial expressions, it was really hard sometimes to understand someone. The emoticons in the chat were a solution, as limited as they were.

Coup De Grâce was a player that joined much earlier than myself or Peroroncino, the guild. He was a loyal follower of the Japanese animation industry, or in Peroro's words a weeaboo. As I recall, I think he is from somewhere in Quebec.

Peroroncino approached the brain eater, the name of the race that Coup De Grâce chose. "Wow, Coupsy-chan is creating a tsundere character. Wonderful decision! A brilliant mind! A wise choice made by a true otaku."

"-Peroroncino, you are not the person to scold me for my preferences! Just look at Shalltear. You should change some of her settings, or you will shame our guild!" yelled Coup De Grâce.

"- Tsk-Tsk, don't you dare touch my perfect creation. She is the epitome of dignity and also character complexity. You sick fu..."

As the duo argued, I absentmindedly stared at the ceiling which had a surprising amount of details. You could see even a couple of cobwebs randomly placed or even intricate old pattern. This game would always impress me with its realistic graphics.

"-Who do you think is better a yandere or tsundere, Mephis-chan?"

"-Firstly, I wanted to ask you about what you presume with the terms tsundere or yandere," I asked ashamed of my ignorance.

"-Shit, how more normie can you get, Mephisto. Where did you live your teenager's years? I sometimes think that you discovered the almighty internet, just the day before." Peroroncino grumbled.

I could feel the tense stare of Coup De Grâce, who seemed, by the tension in the air, completely disappointed with me due to my negligence toward the anime culture.

"-Let's ignore that ignorant bastard, Coupsy. I think making her a yandere would be better ..."

Sometimes, I ask myself how much I went downhill to be friends with such perverted creatures. Wondrous, truly wondrous. Maybe God gave on humanity because of how loathsome we had become. Does our world deserve any sort of mercy?

"- You can also remodel her into loli, to add a bit of spiciness to the character."

"- Hmm, an interesting idea."

We are DOOMED. Neither war nor greed brought the end to our existence, we ourselves lost everything that made us humans and became devils on Earth. We deserve our gruesome future.

"-Stop bickering already! I am fed up with your otaku shit. Momonga asked you to come to the Conference Room." A tall humanoid grey-skinned creature shouted. Frankly, I thank God for sending me the salvation from these frightening conversation.

Signel, as always with his towering presence, came out of the nowhere to stop this senseless exchange. His avatar was a Nephilim, so he cut quite an impressive figure of a muscular brute of 3 meters geared in his dark crimson armour.

"- Damn, this American always manages to scare the shit out of me every time with his loud growls!" Peroroncino whispered.

"- I actually met with him in real life, and he surprisingly proved to be a friendly family man." Coup De Grâce said, eyeing with caution the fearsome giant.

"- No shit!"

"- Yeah, he might be just role-playing..."

"- Shut up!" Signel roared.

"- Or maybe a rare case of multiple personality disorder." Peroroncino assumed.

Signel glared intently at him for a split of a second and then started laughing uncontrollably.

"- Peroro, you get me off-guard every time. You spoiled my act yet again, you weirdo." Signel signed.

"- Who I am, if not grandmaster Peroroncino!" Peroro declared dramatically.

"- Ahem, I apologise for disturbing this touching conversation, but could we please get going to our guild master. We are already late enough." I remarked in the gentlest manner possible.

"- Tsk-Tsk, Europeans polite as always, as I see!" Signel chuckled.

After about 5 minutes of walking in the vast 9th floor of Nazarick, we finally reached the Conference Room. In its centre, we could see a grandiose round marble table with 42 luxurious red oak seats. And at the back of the room sat a horrific undead creature, devoid of any flesh or skin, robbed in a black academic gown. Momonga, with his Overlord avatar, became our leader after Touch Me had decided to step down from this position due to various personal reasons. Not remotely from him stood Herohero. His race was Elder Black Ooze, one the strongest of the slime-type ones.

"-Hello everyone! I initially thought that there would be way fewer members on the last day of Yggdrasil." Momonga amiably said.

After everyone gave their greetings and sat at their respective places, we started discussing the changes that we might implement in the settings of the base or NPCs. After an hour of tiring debates, we decided against adjusting the Floor Guardians or maids with the exception of Albedo due to the request of her creator Tabula. The problem with her was that he wrote in her biography that she was a slut because he wanted to make her somewhat more complex. The logic behind that seems a bit incomprehensible to me, but who I am to judge. Everyone has their weird inclinations. Perorocino came forward willing to help. Momonga surprisingly accepted his free-willed aid. I reckon he might have thought that Peroro wouldn't dare to make a joke out of a task of this importance. Huh, I guess we will see Tabula's reputation going down the hill. I suppose it will be entertaining to see his rage and wrath in the chat tomorrow. Whatever.

I have to go to the 8th floor to modify mainly one of my creations there, an Area Guardian the fallen seraphim Abaddon. He was almost entirely covered with an old and tattered long cloak. His robe hid a tall but skinny to bones figure, with an unhealthy almost grey skin tone. His face was pale and grim. He lost his once blonde curls, replaced with almost white rare hair. Only, his eyes, although sunken deep in his deformed skull, had kept their dazzling blue colour. He made quite a bit of contrast with my avatar, who is a tall and slim gentleman with a pale face, gifted with a pair of red eyes and pitch black straight hair. I am dressed in a 20th-century suit, with white gloves and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses.

Although he seemed miserable, he was way stronger than me in my current state. Even though my race is not even a rare one, but a unique one, it isn't that powerful. However, it gave me an interesting gaming experience. Firstly to unlock it, you had to reach as the imp and the demon up to the 15th and 10th level respectively, then and only then you would get the possibility to change to the Lesser Evil race. After getting to the 10th level as it, you would progress even further to the Greater Evil. This entity is supposed to be the Faustian devil, who makes deals with mortals for their souls.

The game tries somehow to implement this mechanic, making it possible the player to get a reasonable buff after completing a series of quests from an NPC with the goal of taking his "soul". It gave the possibility to me to be somewhere in the high end of the middle tier kind of equal to Momonga when without it I am in the middle of the low tier of players. The main advantage that makes this race a little overpowered is the lack of any sort of weaknesses to any element or form of combat. I could do fairly well in ranged and close fights with ease. One of its flaws was the inability to use any sort of weapon, or arcane magic other than of darkness, fire or void element. I was a sort of jack-of-all-trades, who was fairly strong but never the most powerful one due to my limitations. I would be a lot weaker without my world item, the Hands of Baal, which basically were wearable by any player and had a damage input of a Divine tier longsword. Coupled with my divine suit and other legendary accessories, that thanks to my shapeshifter job could change their form, I am able to perform good enough in PVP battles, but unfortunately far from being able to win in a fair fight with Touch Me. I had maxed out all my jobs and learned the maximum amount of spells that I could during these 12 years.

I got the race quest from the now Marketing Head at Segami. I believe he had just wanted to exhibit some of the key features of the game to me as an investor, to build up the trust for their company. He even tried his best to avoid any sort of media scandal. In the end, when I found out, I simply decided to reward his wit by backing him for his current position during a meeting of the board of directors. Although after that, I warned him not to give any special content to me.

In the rest, I can proudly declare that I achieved in this game everything through only sheer effort and skill, except maybe some of the cosmetic items that I bought.

I changed quite a bit in Abaddon's life story, making some of his motivations for leaving Eden more believable. I can even add a bit of dramatism to his past. He fell in love with a human girl. He gave on immortality just to spend the rest of his day with her. Grievously, once a horrible illness began affecting her mind and body. She struggled but to no avail. She lost the gift to speak, and during nights her cries of pain would make him shiver at the thought of losing her. He was desperate, so desperate that he made a deal with the Devil to save her from the imminent death. She didn't tremble in her sleep anymore. But, she became a soulless puppet, continuously staring at one point in the ceiling. One, Five, Ten years had passed, and he finally gave up and killed her with his own hands. After that, he jumped off a cliff. He initially thought he would go to hell, but he was foolish. He had sold his soul to the Devil. He is and will always be a servant to him, an angel devoted to the word of Satan.

I guess this will work, even if it's a bit cliche and overly dramatic. I hope the public will appreciate this.

I should go back to my room on the 9th floor, to see its exquisite design for the last time. As I was walking to my destination, mesmerised by the surroundings I heard the game chat notification.

"- Mephisto, where are you right now? "[Signel]

"I am on the 8th floor. I've just finished revising Abbadon." [Mephistopheles]

"- Do you know that there is only 30 min left until the end of Yggdrasil. Herohero has already left. He was kind of tired, and he had to go to work tomorrow. Another four people showed up. Lilith decided to remain with us and watch a duel or two between the NPCs"[Signel]

Lilith looked a lot like an elf, sharing the same blonde hair and pale skin. The trait that made her different however was the pair of stunning red eyes. She was obviously a vampire, an Elder one to be exact. This race was a rare alternative to the True Vampire evolution. She had the same weaknesses as it. However, she retained her beauty and had a stronger affinity with dark magic, with the price of being more vulnerable to holy magic. Provided that she was a mother, Lilith didn't play that frequently. Henceforth, her character was only somewhere in the middle tier of players, even if she was a veteran in Yggdrasil. She was really close friends with Blue Planet since they both started playing Yggdrasil just for the purpose of observing the exuberant views of an unpolluted wilderness.

"- Ariel and Doraemon also came and helped us quite a bit, but they have just gone to see some of the performances in the centre of the world. I guess we could have gone there too, but for me, it doesn't really feel right to leave our guild on its last day."[Signel]

Ariel and Doraemon were sister and brother. Ariel chose the Doppelgänger race, giving up on any sort of specific appearance. Doraemon is an Automation. He looks really impressive with his Gunslinger Job. He is dressed in a long black coat, with a tattered red scarf and an old-fashioned fedora. He is a talkative man, always complaining about his annoying sister. I didn't know his sister that well, so I can't really say if they were his usual jokes or not.

"- Where is Satyr? He is still online."[Mephistopheles]

"- You know that maniac. He came by, said hello and left to farm again in his dungeon. Even on the last day, he can't stop being a douchebag."[Signel]

Satyr, with his Treant race, resembled a lot a gigantic moving tree, with dark brown bark and pink leaves. He was obsessed with Yggdrasil. He was all about efficiency, having a variety of skills and items. It can be said that he was almost on equal grounds with Touch Me, but never stronger. Thus, he was the second in our guild's power chart, a bit more powerful than Signel.

"- So what are your plans, Mephisto?"[Signel]

"- I want to spend a bit of time in my room on the 9th floor."[Mephistopheles]

"- I guess it makes sense that you will want to do that, with how much money you spent on the decorations there. Shit, man. I feel you. Seeing so much cash going down the drain because of Yggdrasil ending, must be painful as f ck. XD" [Signel]

"- Don't forget to enter the chat after the end. :)"[Mephistopheles]

"- See ya"[Signel]

Finally, I arrived in front of my suite, which was by the way composed of three rooms, an office, a dining room and a bedroom. It was designed in the Victoria Era style. Each piece in my quarters is made of mahogany wood and was bought separately with real money. I do feel embarrassed by this sort of unreasonable spending, even if I can boast that nowhere in the game you would see such luxury. The first room was the office with two doors leading to the other ones. In the center, there is a magnificent hand carved desk with an antique leather chair. In front of it, you would see a couple of beautifully done armchairs. Near the wall, there is a voluminous book collection, each being selected personally by me from some of the Yggdrasil lore or Philosophical tomes from our reality, arranged in two baroque bookcases. A red carpet is on the dark oak floor, with a dark marble fireplace in the corner. In the bedroom, I would always be fascinated with the elegant king size bed accompanied by a lonely nightstand. At its side, there is a classic closet filled up with a variety of expensive clothes. The whole room was dimly lit by a standing lamp in the corner. In the dining room, there is an exquisite long table with a sideboard and a cupboard filled with porcelain dishware at its sides. In the corner, one could see a couple of musical instruments, a white piano, a couple of violins, a viola, a cello and even some trumpets. These instruments could magically produce the Beethoven symphony and other classical masterpieces. There is also an old English floor standing pendulum clock near the corner. And every wall was decorated with copies of impressionist and realist movement paintings of our world. Each of these items was costly not because of their beauty, but due to the buff they usually give.

I sat on a chair in the living room and started sipping absentmindedly a bit of tea, just out of habit as nothing here had any taste or smell. The hot drink was prepared by one of my creations. Elisabeth, one of the 42 homunculus maids of Nazarick, was the single one of them allowed to enter my lodgings. She had black tied hair, blue eyes and a quite unsettling always calm expression.

When I looked at the clock, I realised with horror that in a couple of seconds its hour hand would reach the 4 hour mark. I should go to sleep after waking up. These sort of sleepless nights take a toll on my old body. I closed my eyes, waiting for the last clock chime of the game, expecting to open them already in reality.

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 **Some of the references : Segame- Sega + Konami;**


	3. The Awakening

**Yeah, I know I promised to upload at least once two weeks. And now already the 4th week is about to start. I am sorry. I will try to be consistent when it comes to my uploads. This is the last chapter without any action, so wait for it!**

 **I want to thank pwashington, RyuujiVantek, Hero600, PervySageChuck, Zandaino-Nova-Ari, Tomosada, Aston, random guest, for the reviews.**

 **RyuujiVantek: I am happy that you like the amount of detail in the story. If by any chances, I might exaggerate with it, please say it.**

 **Hero600: Signel is just teasing him. He doesn't really mean that Europeans are polite.**

 **PervySageChuck: Ariel has any size of her desire, as she is a doppelganger. Lilith is another matter though. I can't disclose something so personal, but I hope your imagination would provide the answer.**

 **Tomosada: I don't have any knowledge of the Japanese language. If Kosega is better than Segami, I will change the name of the company to Kosega. Abbadon's story is not supposed to make sense from the religious point of view, as the main character is an atheist, something obvious due to the way he sees people or power. Abbadon purpose will be revealed in the next parts of the story. I can only reveal that his role is important in the protagonist's character development.**

* * *

 **Firstly, I wanted to say that this is my first fanfiction, and English is only my second language. So don't expect anything revolutionary from this fiction. It sounds grim, doesn't it? However, please do give me a chance. Secondly, I wanted to make a couple of points clear:**

 **1\. This is not a Self-Insert fanfiction. This character is an original one, as I am not a 50 years old man and I don't condone any of his decisions due to their occasionally questionable morality. His avatar in Yggdrasil is a little overpowered, but I will try to balance him somehow with some limitations.**

 **2\. Sadly, I don't have the necessary time to update this fanfiction frequently. I will try to upload a chapter at least once two weeks, which length will be based on how much available time I will have. Nevertheless, in case of a missed upload, I must ask you to be considerate, during exams at least.**

 **3\. I would like to know your thoughts concerning this story, so please post a review. I am not against criticism either, as any objective opinion will hugely help me in improving my writing style or the plot.**

 **4\. I don't own Overlord or any of its characters except the original ones. (OBVIOUSLY)**

 **Thanks for giving my story a chance and I hope you will enjoy it.**

* * *

The chime of the clock sounded. I opened my eyes slowly, and I found out with surprise that I was still in the same room.

I guess there might be some sort of delay in the discontinuation of the Yggdrasil's servers.

I took absentmindedly my porcelain cup in my hands, with the thought to just wait for the inevitable shutdown of my beloved game.

It's warm. The porcelain cup is warm. What.

I dropped the cup on the dark wooden floor. It broke into pieces at its fall. I don't understand. What is happening right now? I don't understand. I don't. It doesn't make sense. The game never had the ability to emulate human senses. What the hell is happening?

What the hell is with this ludicrous dilemma?

-Sir, let me help you. A beautiful woman said in a gentle manner. Her long gothic maid dress would captivate the attention of many passing men. Moreover, her alluring black straight hair was falling on her open shoulders. She knelt down, directed her delicate hands to the spilt tea and said a strange incantation. The floor became once again clean.

The situation is getting more absurd with each moment. Am I in a coma? Is this image that I witness at the moment just a portrayal of my hidden desires? Is this just my utopia deeply buried in my head? Am I that simple? No, people with coma don't experience these sort of realistic dreams. It's too real to be just a work of my imagination. A chill run down my back. Did I die? If I did, then how? The virtual capsule dangers should have been already mitigated by their retailers. These sort of nonsensical cases of deaths happened only at the dusk of the 21st century. Did I get assassinated? No, that doesn't make sense either. Nevertheless, I don't believe that this dimension is my afterlife. What happened then? My throat is getting dry. I am losing my cool.

I CAN'T AFFORD TO LOSE TIME IN THIS SORT OF PLACE.

Everything depends on me in the real world. My absence would be felt by my rivals, and they might just profit from this situation and surpass me in some of the sectors in USA or China, where my power is not as consolidated as in Europe. It becomes increasingly obvious that if I am not going to deal with this issue as swiftly as possible, I might lose most of my progress for my last ten years, and that's a serious loss for my aspirations. I should figure a solution as fast as possible. But how the hell am I supposed to make a plan of actions in such ridiculous circumstances? I have at most a month of leeway before my projects start crumbling down in the real world. I am so damn furious due to the current incomprehensible plight. I started coughing violently, as my boiling temper was getting out of control.

"- Sir, are you alright?" The maid said in a soothing voice. Her gorgeous face came close to mine. I could behold her blinking dazzling blue eyes and pink lips. Her figure could be easily a source of inspiration for an artist, just due to her gracefulness and dignity.

I stared at her for a mere moment, appreciating the sight. And after calming a bit, I said in the most nonchalant manner.

"- I am fine, my thanks for your care. It was nothing of importance." She straightened her posture and smiled, showcasing her halo-white perfect teeth. I've just noticed how frighteningly similar she looks to Elisabeth.

"- Elisabeth?" I said almost stammering.

"- How can I help you, sir?"

She answered to her name, so she must be her. Maybe, I didn't note the obvious similarities between them due to how humanlike she became.

"-Elisabeth, what do you think of your years as my maid. Was I ever exaggeratedly stringent in some of my demands?"

"- Your Excellency, my sole role in life is to serve you dutifully and to fulfil any of your desires. I am delighted to be the servant of such a celestial being." I see. Hmm, sadly this answer doesn't really explain anything to me about her hidden desires. Her eyes were full of sincere reverence for me. Her heavy words were spoken without any doubt or thoughts. She may not be human, but I can't believe that she can put such an act with so much natural ease. However, in the unlikely event that everything until now was just an act, then I wouldn't be able to deal with her on equal grounds. I should take advantage of the situation as much as I can, by asking more questions.

"- Elisabeth, help this old man remember, for how long are you in the service of Nazarick?"

"- Oh your most dignified Excellency, I have been truly honored to be at your side for a half of century. And I can most certainly say that I am really blessed to be your creation!"

Where does this innocence come from?

She is already almost in my age category. Her beliefs and the will to serve me can only be explained by brainwash, as troubling and disgusting as it sounds.

"- I apologise for my careless ignorance. I am truly ashamed to forget such an important date in your life. Excuse this senile old man for being a bit forgetful, as I had already lost the sense of my time long ago. I would try to prepare a suitable gift for you."

I will choose something random from my inventory. I have a lot of trash laying down there. As she is only somewhere in the 20-level region, every equipment would be a serious upgrade for her.

\- Your excellence, such an unworthy being as myself does not deserve the attention of a mighty person of your caliber. And I understand how a deity, whose origins come from the creation of the world tree cannot afford to allow time for such trivial things. And no need for presents!"

Her answer is quite helpful in understanding what our creations really think and know about me. As her words are close to what the lore of the Greater Evil race provides, it makes me strongly believe that the Yggdrasil folklore becomes a reality in this world. Moreover, if my assumptions are correct, the fifty-years age comes from the number of years that passed from her creation. Her lifetime starts to make sense if we consider that a Yggdrasil day is around only 2 hours.

"- Elisabeth, please do bring me please my most favourite white wine, as today is a magnificent day to find pleasure in the beauty of it."

"- Delighted to serve you, your excellence Mephistoles." She said while bowing elegantly. She approached the mahogany cabinet and took a bottle of cabernet sauvignon and an exquisite wine class. Did I somehow got transported to Yggdrasil? As foolish as it may seem, any other explanation doesn't really explain the current situation better. She addressed me with my in-game name. Elisabeth seems to behave the same way how I designed her, never mind the fact she knew my exact wine preferences. She was created to be aware of any of my expectations. So, that's a given that she would at least know what I prefer.

After smelling and swirling the wine, I was mesmerised by its exquisite taste, even with thousands of reputable tasted brands behind my back. As I looked at my white gloves, with the mere thought of them being made of leather, they changed in a split o second to what my heart desired. Hence, I could still use my shapeshifter job. Straightaway, I tried taking a silver mirror from my inventory, and with the ease, without delay, I took that item from a strange discrepancy in space. I admired my game character features, which if I may say were genuinely handsome. His straight nose, slender eyebrows and long face make him quite a magnificent specimen.

All of a sudden, the doorbell rang.

"- Elisabeth, please invite our guest inside."

"- Supreme one, I, Albedo, your faithful servant, came here with the honour to announce you of the invitation of other divine beings in the conference room to discuss the critical situation of Ainz Ooal Gown."

"- Delighted to see you again, Albedo."

As I followed her into the hallway, I couldn't bear to admire her ethereal beauty. Albedo had long lustrous hair adorned with a pair of magnificent ivory horns. Her white silk dress and spiderweb necklace were true masterpieces of art and exquisiteness.

She is an essential piece in this game, and her influence is crucial for us, the players, to keep our power in hands.

"- How is the state of each floor of Nazarick?"

"- Nothing changed except the location of the tomb, your excellence."

"- How are faring the inhabitants of our magnificent tomb? Are there any particular complaints toward our administration?"

"- No oh supreme one. Everyone is delighted to be your servants for an eternity." She valiantly declared while making a deep bow.

"- How are you, Albedo? Do you need any days off? Your responsibility as the Overseer of Guardians is a tremendous weight for you to carry. Maybe, you need an assistant?"

Tsk-Tsk, I made a stupid mistake. You would think that after years of experience, I would be more careful in what my words may convey. I might have caused a misunderstanding. Albedo might assume that I want to limit her power, by adding to her side one of my pawns.

"- Your excellence, I would always find the chance to contribute to the common cause of Nazarick as an opportunity that I can't afford to lose at any cost."

What a magnificent performance! No frown, no displeasure is shown! She even showed commitment to Nazarick's cause in her denial. However, she seems so honest that I am also inclined to believe her. I don't discern any sort of peculiar gestures. I guess she is not a human, so she must be able to control her expressions perfectly. During my existence as Mephistopheles, I should be careful with these beings. I might find it hard to predict her actions, as I don't honestly understand her desires. I wonder where her loyalty comes from if her words are genuine.

I guess Peroroncino didn't make any prank in the end. Sometimes, one indeed becomes a bit sceptical about positive change. I feel a bit disappointed about me. As his friend, I should have had a better opinion of him. I am truly ashamed of my thoughts.

"- My loyalty will always stay with the supreme beings and my darling Momonga-sama."

I am not sure why I even presumed that such a corrupted individual as Peroro could expect any sort of improvement. NO! Nobody should underestimate this abnormality of a human.

As much as I dislike Peroro's sometimes childish behaviour, it unexpectedly gave a welcoming result in return. Now, one could say that Albedo was practically chained by her love to Momonga, which in turn is enormously beneficial for the stability of our dictatorship in this dungeon. I should focus on getting on her good side, as she is after all the Overseer of the Guardians.

"- Albedo, I truly feel blessed to have you as our subordinate. I am certain that Tabula would be proud of your admirable abilities. We, the rulers of Nazarick, value your advice, not due to your position but because of your insight."

"- I don't deem myself worthy of your praise, oh supreme one, Mephistopheles."

"- And to be honest, I find you as the most suitable wife for Momonga. I am on your side Albedo in any of your plans to conquer my friend's heart." I should apologise afterwards to Momonga for using him as a political tool if someone could even say that. I had to give some hopes to her at least to make her more predisposed to some of my decisions, as in future, in my opinion, her role in Nazarick would only grow.

By the time were at the door of the Conference Room, I asked Albedo to announce each Floor Guardian except Victim and Gargantua, to wait for us at the amphitheatre on the 6th floor.

As I entered the room, I was met with a depressing scene. Everyone had gloomy expressions, even Lilith having red eyes after I bet a lot of shed tears. I was surprised to see also Satyr, sitting valiantly in his five meters tall form, in the corner of the room.

"-As everyone is already present, umm, let's think how we can solve this ... situation." Momonga broke the silence, in a sad and monotone voice. His efforts proved to be fruitless, as no one even tried speaking up. Lilith even started crying again. I guess she worries a lot about her children and not seeing them ever again. I patted her on the back and whispered in the most gentle manner.

"- Don't worry. We will figure a way to go back."

"- My friends, I understand you, but now we have to focus." I sighed and solemnly declared.

"- WE MIGHT BE CONSIDERED ALREADY DEAD WHEN WE COME BACK. HECK, EVEN NOW WE MIGHT HAVE LOST OUR LIFES DUE TO THOSE SHITTY CAPSULES!" Signel shouted while standing up. He pointed his finger at me. "- YOU DON'T FUCKING UNDERSTAND. I CAN'T LEAVE BEHIND MY FAMILY."

"- I do understand. I also have loving parents back home, and I must assure you, I also want to meet them. However, now it's not the time to grieve. NO, we have to do something to solve this problem." I said while looking deeply into his dark eyes.

"- Please calm down."

I feel kind of ashamed for lying so bluntly to them. I've just wanted to rekindle my friends' hopes a bit. I stared at each of my guildmates. But as most of them except Lilith and Signel were not even closely related to human, I couldn't read any sort of expression on their faces. Peroroncino was silent, and that was not exactly the best omen.

"- Let's analyse the situation."

"- What is there to analyse? Isn't it clear that we are deep in shit?" Peroroncino suddenly cursed.

"- Peroro, please let him say." Coup de Grace pleaded.

"- Thank you, Coup de Grace. Do your in-game skills work in this world?"

Everyone nodded.

"- Most of them, as far as I know, work, except maybe the interface and messaging related ones. I also tried to find out if the items had the same effect as in the game, and mostly they did. I haven't checked the legendary rings like the 'The Shooting Star', however, the other ones were perfectly operating."

Momonga concluded. I must say it is impressive that he doesn't show any sort of anxiety.

"- Sebas also reported that the tomb was translocated somewhere in the middle of the plains, and in his opinion, this world is different from Yggdrasil," Momonga added.

It's an intriguing situation indeed.

"- It sounds awfully similar to the scenarios of one of those retarded Japanese light novels," Satyr grumbled.

Coup de Grace glared at him intensely.

"- Umm, I am sorry. You know, umm, I didn't mean that." Satyr awkwardly stammered.

"- Oh yeah, Sebas informed that our tomb is somewhere in fertile plains with a river flowing from the mountains in the north. Our reconnaissance unit also reported the discovery of a single village at an approximately fifty kilometres distance from our base."

Momonga added with his already trademark monotone voice. I suppose he said that to prevent a pointless dispute between the two. He seems awfully too calm in this setting, and it's quite unsettling as his words are so deprived of any emotion, that I could think that they don't belong to a human.

"- We should try and be careful at first with our actions. We should send some scouts to probe the level of danger in that village. I know that everyone wants to go there, but I can't risk us being destroyed." Lilith spoke after calming a bit.

"- One of the shadow demons said that there is a bunch of weak level mobs around in this place. So I don't think we are at least for now in any danger." Peroroncino said in a sarcastic tone.

Frankly speaking, I am proud of my teammates. They somehow managed to make an adequate plan of actions in this ridiculous situation. But even with this knowledge, I continue to walk in the dark. I need more information as taking the chance blindly, may prove to be disastrous.

"- What about the village? What did the shadow demons find out there?" Signel asked Peroroncino.

"- They said it was just a dull medieval village, with nothing special except maybe some strange vegetables. The villagers are too weak to be a danger for Nazarick, I quote. At least now, we can breathe a sigh with relief that we are not going to be one-shot."

"- Does 'one-shot' even exist in the English language?" Lilith sneered with scorn.

"- Oh, I apologise for not properly following the rules, madam grammar nazi." Peroroncino maliciously replied.

I should stop this farce now.

"- Momonga, please open the mirror of remote viewing."A mirror enclosed in a golden frame appeared before us. It started showing us the landscape of our tomb from outside. After searching for a bit, Momonga finally found the village. The settlement was under the threat of being attacked by a cavalry unit moving toward its location. The hamlet might be in danger. Even if they were brutes, I don't think they would kill a lot of civilians. It seemed as it was more a savage military operation, with the goal of stirring fear in the enemy camps, as such genocide is useless.

"- We should send some shadow demons to test the water. If the soldiers don't represent a danger for Nazarick or the village, we will then decide on what we plan on doing next."

"- PEOPLE MIGHT DIE WHILE YOU WAVER. WE HAVE TO HELP THEM." SIgnel shouted.

I don't understand the changes in behaviour that my teammates experience. For instance, Signel was calmer and much more clear-headed before our arrival in this world.

"- You know Mephisto, I agree with Signel. We should try to help them." Peroroncino said. Everyone was giving me stares, besides Momonga and Coup de Grace who were keeping an unreadable neutral expression.

My friends are right. We should help them. It unsettles me that I was so cold concerning the lives of entire families. Am I changing also? That's worrying. When did I become so indifferent toward humans? No, I didn't change. It may be caused by the stress during these hours. Yeah, I am the same old David.

"- I agree. I was kind of blinded by the fear there. I believe everyone struggles with the idea that we might die in this world, and lose the chance to meet again our families. I am ready to take the risk, but who else?"

"- I am willing to help." Signel declared while standing up.

"- Ok, any other candidates?"

Silence fell on the conference room. Everyone avoided each other's gazes. Huh, I guess I should show some good will here.

"- Ok then, we will need a mage to protect us from any surveillance on our mission." I stared mostly at Momonga and Lilith, as they were the ones that had a class specialised in spells. She even flinched and stared at the ceiling avoiding eye contact.

Momonga slowly raised his fleshless hand.

"- Now that we decided, let's vote on this important matter." I was kind of blunt in my actions. I had to show Momonga, that he couldn't have the power of the guild master in this world. I know he understands that he is in no place to refuse this decision. That's the beauty of democracy. People usually vehemently believe in its servitude toward people, when in reality everything is in the hands of a selected few.

"- Who is for the resolution, please do raise your hands."

It's a unanimous vote. Isn't it wonderful?

"- Delighted to see that we agree on this topic. Happy to announce the first session of our council over. We fight for the same goal, my friends." Yeah, he definitely understood his loss of power. Even Coup de Grace gave me some looks. But it doesn't really matter. I didn't mean to antagonise Momonga, nor to seize his power. In my opinion, it's too precarious to leave this sort of power in the hands of a single individual. Mistakes are bound to happen. I will go the safer route, even if taking a decision is tedious.

"- By the way, present yourselves toward the natives as the Nine Ooal Gown. We will announce our guildmates that we are here, but our enemies will be in the dark. Isn't it a smart idea? Ain't I a genius?"

Peroroncino's proposal is quite clever. I guess he was always witty. Not cunning, but witty. There is a difference.

"- Yeah, he makes a valid point, except maybe the genius part." Signel chuckled at his own joke.

"- Ok, we will do that. Ahem, we should hurry a bit, as I asked the guardians to gather in the amphitheatre. We will discuss with them some pressing protection measures that have to be implemented."

"- Wouldn't the creation of forest around us be enough? And maybe some undead monsters may be in need too. But, why do we have to ask them for their advice?" Satyr asked.

"- The pressing matter is not their opinion, but the feeling of being involved in the leadership, when everything it's already decided. We need support and what better way to gain that, than by giving them power, even if it's hollow."

As we were walking down the hallway, I was approached by Coup de Grace.

"- Mephisto, can I have a word with you?" His fishy stench was insufferable.

"- Yeah, Coup de Grace. How can I help you?"

"- You do understand that if by any chance you meet some of our teammates, you will have to make them join us or ..."

"- Sorry, I am not following through, Coup."

"- You would have to kill them."

"- Why? Aren't you a bit too paranoid?"

"- I know. But you forget about something important Mephisto. If the number of guildmates outside of our base had a numerical advantage over the ones inside, they would get the opportunity to take control of Nazarick's defences. Even with the NPC's on our sides, they will win easily using the environmental hazards of our headquarters."

Damn, Coup de Grace's point makes sense. This game mechanic may prove as an easy loophole for our enemies to use. However, the conditions are too ridiculous for it to happen.

"- There are seven guildmates now. So I don't believe that they will manage to find more than that. And even if they did, they are our friends. The majority of them will not betray us without a legitimate reason."

"- I am just giving you a warning, Mephisto. Don't regret your pity in the aftermath."

The Amphitheatre is a large arena surrounded by several layers of an auditorium filled with golems as the audience. It was modelled after the Colosseum in the city of Rome. While so, the sky shown here in the Colosseum could change depending on the time of day, even showing an actual sun with appropriate daylight effects. It has even a customizable weather option.

In the middle of this magnificent structure, one could see the figures of six beings.

They watched as we entered, and kneeled in front of us.

"- We, the Guardians of Nazarick, are your loyal servants. We greet our supreme rulers." Albedo declared.

"- Papa Peroro!" Shaltear excitedly shouted and tried to get up to embrace Peroroncino. She is a vampire of short stature and has the appearance of a lively fourteen-year-old girl. She has pale glossy skin, alluring red eyes, and refined facial features. Shalltear's silver hair is tied in a ponytail through a large red ribbon.

"- Don't. Show. Disrespect. Toward. The. Supreme. Beings. Shaltear." Cocytus enunciated while catching Shalltear and lifting her up. Cocytus has the appearance of an insect walking on two feet, looking like something between a mantis and an ant. With a tail twice as long as his height, Cocytus is covered with sharp spikes like icicles and has a strong monstrous jaw that could represent a threat to anyone.

"- You are shaming us as always before our creators." Aura blamed Shalltear, with an obviously sarcastic tone. Aura is a child with dark skin and pointed ears. She has golden hair and heterochromia, her left eye blue and right eye green. She wears a dark crimson dragon scale robe covered by a white and gold vest embroidered with the sigil of our guild.

"- Oh, shut up kid. Don't intrude into an adult conversation."

"- What did you say? Fake boo..."

"- End the farce, now. I apologise for our impolite conduct, supreme beings."

Demiurge declared. He is a tall demon with dark skin and nicely combed black hair. Behind the round golden glasses are eyes so squinted that they aren't usually noticeable, but in reality his pair of eyes lack eyeballs, in fact, shining jewels with numerous small cuts take their place. Wearing a British suit, he is dressed like a noble gentleman. Behind his back is a silver tail, covered with metal plates and six long spikes at the end.

I see the same eyes of blind reverence and loyalty, maybe except Demiurge's ones which were indiscernible. Good. My worries seem silly at least right now. I gave a look to my friends, who gave me a nod as confirmation. I then started my speech.

"- We, the supreme rulers of Nazarick, would appreciate your involvement in the matters concerning Nazarick, as your advice is highly valued by our entourage. At the moment, our guild is in a precarious position due to our mysterious translocation into an unknown world. I hope that with your aid, we will manage to pass safely through this predicament. Our council has decided that creating a forest as a decoy is the reasonable way of concealing our presence from any enemy."

Everyone seemed to understand the subtle change of power that took place. 'Our coup d'état' turned the English monarchy with Momonga as the king into the so-called Venetian Patrician Council. Yeah, I really enjoy making allegories with historical elements. I do know that this type of government is not really possible, due the lack of fast response to a critical situation as there is no head, a doge for instance. But at least, it's not absolutism. I will try to softly push the idea of an elected ruler in the minds of my allies. Why am I refraining from doing it now? I am afraid of the unpredictable detail, the inhabitants of this dungeon. I don't want to give any power, as it seems too risky and unnecessary. However, their loyalty without any benefits is questionable and utterly idiotic to believe, at least from a political view. I will try to probe their reactions to some of our actions. As they were mostly programmed to be aggressive toward humans, I wonder how they will react to a softer approach to them. These are my main worries at this moment. Oh, I shouldn't forget about Albedo. She is giving me quite the glares, due to the shift of power that occurred.

"- Sorry,... umm, what is this council?" Mare asked.

"- Mare! " Aura gave him a quick cuff on the nape.

He looks a lot like his sister. Merely that below, he has a matching short white skirt, and on his neck is an acorn necklace emitting silver light. He is also much more feminine than Aura, whose tomboyishness seems natural at first glance. Bukubukuchagama is guilty of this weird taste for clothes. I guess she wanted to suggest the 'right' perception of her and Peroro's relationship. The way she bullies him constantly is also a bit concerning.

Damn, this is awkward. Let's word a proper response that will not escalate the situation any further.

"- How do you dare question the supreme beings' decisions?" Demiurge thundered while clenching his teeth, or whatever sharp fangs they are.

"- Mare, it's no trouble. We have just decided with the supreme beings that it's better that way. We were initially equal, but due to them not being free in certain circumstances, we have decided that it would be far easier to give me, as someone able and free, this responsibility to bear. Now, however, with the change that occurred, everyone is no longer chained by other matters. NOW, we will dedicate ourselves to the benefit of Nazarick!" Momonga declared as vehemently as he could, with his monotone voice, while patting Mare's head.

He must be quite thin-skinned to say something to them like that when we literally plan to leave this place as fast as possible. Rather maybe he doesn't really share the same concerns. Interesting.

I guess this solves the situation a bit. Albedo can't really say anything now that will not deny Momonga's words.

"- Ahem, as I said firstly, I would ask you to give me some suggestions on the camouflage of our base."

"- I apologise for my insolence, oh supreme one, but adding an illusion spell would be a good idea. Perhaps, some low-level summons would help to make the impression of a miserable my humble opinion, this might be a good solution for deterring the attention of weak targets. Moreover, the collection of their items would also be possible." Demiurge made quite an impressive proposal. However, in my regard, it has some flaws.

" - Although I agree with the idea of summoning some monsters in the forest, a task which I will ask you and Mare help for, I can't really agree with the usage of an illusion spell. I don't doubt its efficiency against common enemies. Nevertheless, they imply the risk that the spells of Yggdrasil origin may raise some flags in the heads of the former players, who were also transported here. Furthermore undoubtedly, some of them might be hostile to our infamous guild."

"- Thank you for your guidance," Demiurge stated while making a deep.

"- Now, that this is dealt with, we can move to the next problems. We, the Council, have decided the need of a reconnaissance mission, involving Mephistopheles, Signel and Momonga, to the village nearby." Coup de Grace said. I guess he caught the idea of the necessity of emphasizing the word 'council', during the speeches concerning important matters.

"- Supreme. Ones. We. Can't. Allow. You. To. Go. Unprotected." Cocytus declared with his usual eloquence.

"- I am pretty sure that we are strong enough to take care of ourselves." Signel boomed with his worrying arrogance.

"- Please supreme ones allow me at least to escort you." Albedo pleaded while giving me a stare.

Ahh, I promised to support her when it comes to her love life. I guess I should keep my promises.

"- Yeah, Albedo. A bit of assistance wouldn't hurt." I gave her a knowing look which was answered with her happy nod.

"- LET'S HURRY, OR WE WILL NOT MEET VILLAGERS BUT CORPSES"

Oh, Signel. I thought that you disappeared for a mere moment. Unfortunately, your loud voice is back yet again.

Albedo and Signel decided to cover themselves with armour from head to toe, in a dark indigo one and a grey bulky with sharp spikes on its shoulder pads respectively. Albedo took her World Item, Ginnungagap, as the weapon of choice, while Signel took his trustful Decapitator, a glaring heavy sword that could rival in size with a tree trunk. Momonga, on the other hand, took his staff and robes, opting instead for a mask as a decoy.

Thanks to my morphing abilities, I didn't have any need to change my equipment. I've just transformed myself into a Tibetan monk with western features. I chose this option to avoid looking too foreign to them. I also decided to show my fake face to inspire trust toward me in them.

Before our departure, we took a couple of niche escaping items just in case of some unexpected circumstances.

Momonga opened a dreadful abysmal portal. I wonder if I would have entered it if had met it in real life. No, definitely not even in my dreams.

"- Ok then, let's step inside." Momonga urged us in his less than coaxing voice.

Sigh. Let's hope that we don't get wiped, or destroyed, or whatever my most silver-tongued Peroro names it.


End file.
